Kate Garraway forced to 'withdraw money from pension' to pay off Derek Draper's bills

Kate Garraway has revealed that she's been forced to dip into her pension funds to settle "belated bills" following the death of her husband Derek Draper.

The Good Morning Britain presenter, 57, returned to our screens this week and engaged in a poignant conversation with guest Lindy Kirk about her own health struggles which led her to pay thousands out of pocket. Lindy found herself in unbearable pain and wheelchair-bound when she was informed she'd have to wait 18 months for a potentially life-changing operation, leading her to shell out £15,000 for private treatment - a predicament Kate Garraway could relate to.

"You need every penny of that pension", she remarked, before revealing: "I'm doing something similar myself."

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The mum-of-two then disclosed that she's had to withdraw from her pension to cover her late husband's medical expenses. Kate said: "I've just had to withdraw the bit you can tax-free from my pension to pay belated bills for my husband, who has now passed away.

Turning to Dr Amir Khan, who was also present in the studio, she added: "People are having to do the things which aren't what they saved for and some people don't have any savings at all."

Kate hasn't shied away from speaking about her financial struggles, which amplified during her Derek's prolonged fight with Covid-19. Tragically, Derek, from Chorley, passed away earlier this year at just 56 years old, leaving his wife to grapple with the enormous burden of his healthcare costs, which soared to an eye-watering £16,000 per month for essential care and mobility therapy.

While discussing her overwhelming money struggles on ITV's morning show, Kate confessed to feeling "ashamed" despite her high-paying career, as she struggled to keep her household afloat. "I am ashamed of the fact that I am in debt", she disclosed, "because I have an incredible job that I love, that's very well paid."

She continued by contrasting her situation with those who care for others for minimal pay: "I'm not a carer travelling miles, paying their own transport to go and help somebody for minimum wage.

"I'm somebody that is very well paid and so I just feel a shame that I couldn't make it work."

Kate initially shared the reality of the challenge in the documentary Kate Garraway: Derek's Story, which chronicled the last year of Derek's life and was broadcast in March. She revealed the stark reality: "Derek's care costs more than my salary from ITV and that is before you pay for a mortgage, before you pay any household bills, before you pay for anything for the kids, so we are at a crunch point".

She concluded with a candid admission about her situation: "I am in debt. I can't earn enough money to cover my debt because I am managing Derek's care and I can't even use the money I do have to support Derek's recovery because it's going on the basics all the time."